Lab Use Policy

Equity, Inclusion, and Respect

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (EECE) department is committed to providing lab and classroom environments that are safe, collaborative, equitable, and inclusive for all students, faculty, and staff.

Students, faculty, and staff in EECE are expected to show respect for diversity in people's opinions, experience, heritage, education, organization level, and gender, and treat others with dignity and respect. This expectation is consistent with the University’s mission and is shared by employers that hire EECE graduates.

Behavior that is not consistent with these expectations, such as offensive or demeaning jokes or computer images, may result in a user's account being disabled and access to the labs or classrooms being prohibited.

As members of our community, we all share the responsibility of fostering an inclusive and respectful environment. If you experience or witness an incident of bias, harassment, or discrimination, we encourage you to address the situation directly with the person involved. If you are not comfortable having that conversation, or if the issue persists, please reach out to a faculty or staff member for support. As a final option, you can submit a report through the Bias Response Team's web form at

Report Bias Incident

Together, we can work towards a more inclusive community for all.

Lab Access and Keycards

All EECE majors receive electronic keycards for lab and building access. A $30 deposit is collected through course fees and refunded when the student returns their keycard upon graduation or program exit. The replacement cost for lost cards is $30.

Student access permissions are outlined below:

Exterior building doors are accessible by keycard at all hours during the academic year. The student study rooms, breakout spaces, and Student Lounge are accessible at all hours. Business hours are 8am-5pm weekdays, excluding holidays.

Lab and Classroom Rules

These rules apply to all labs and classrooms, which include KB 103, 105, 203, 205, 209, 211, 213, and 303, as well as the shop in KB 218: 

• Priority Use: Scheduled course lab times take precedence.
• Food: Not allowed in any lab or classroom.
• Beverages: Allowed only in closed containers. No beverages in KB 103 and 105.
• Noise: Keep voices low, use headphones for music, and minimize noise. Take extended conversations to the hallway, breakout space, or study room.
• Safety: Do not work with voltages above ±15V without another person present.
• Chemical Safety: Obtain approval and labeling from the EECE Lab Technician for materials needing SDS sheets, such as spray paint, LiPo batteries, or any other chemicals.
• PC Workstations: Do not lock workstations without faculty/staff permission.
• Cleanliness: Leave the area tidy. After use, turn off instruments and return parts to their correct bins.
• Claiming lab benches: Not allowed.
• Lockers: Assigned lockers are available for 3^rd- and 4^th-year students in the capstone project labs KB 203 and 205. Lockers must be completely emptied by the last day of finals in Spring quarter.
• Personal items: May not be kept in the labs, except in an assigned locker. Cubbies are available in most labs for day use only. Items left overnight may be disposed of or taken to Lost & Found.
• Animals: Not allowed, except under POLU5620.04.
• Data Storage: Use OneDrive; do not save data locally on the PC Desktop or My Documents since these are deleted periodically.
• Moving lab items: No lab equipment, furniture, or materials may leave any of the labs, or be moved to any other labs.
• Soldering: Follow the EECE Soldering Policy posted at all stations. Soldering stations are in the shop in KB 218, as well as the capstone project labs KB 203 and 205.
• Lab Doors: Must be kept closed. No door propping allowed.
• Study Rooms: Available first-come, first-served. Follow posted community guidelines. Includes rooms 107, 214, 314, 401, 433 which are unlocked. Rooms 423 and 428 are faculty/staff conference rooms available for students to use, as well, but these are unlocked only during business hours; faculty/staff have priority to use these two rooms, so students may be asked to leave if the room is needed.
• Student Lounge: Leave the kitchen tidy and follow posted community guidelines. The Faculty/Staff Lounge on the 4th floor is not to be used by students.

Safety

• Fire extinguishers: In the shop, KB 218, as well as near stairwell doors on all floors.
• First-aid kits: In the shop, the capstone project labs, and the main EECE office.
• Emergencies: Call 911 or (360) 650-3911 from your personal cellphone.

Acceptable Use – University Computer Use Policy

The University Computer Use Policy can be found at: 

Acceptable Computer Use

This agreement applies to all classrooms, labs, offices, and meeting spaces managed by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Exceptions will be made only when a required assignment in an Electrical and Computer Engineering class specifically authorizes students to violate elements of this policy.

Remote Access to Lab Computers

The lab PCs can be accessed remotely, from off-campus. To remotely log into the lab PCs, a remote desktop client is needed, and you may need to request VPN access from ATUS if you do not already have it. Windows includes a remote desktop client as part of the standard Windows installation; Mac and Linux users may need to install a client. A secure connection must first be established using the WWU VPN, and any unused computer in KB 213 or KB 303 can then be accessed by visiting this webpage – 

Remote Access

Users logged in remotely to lab PCs are subject to the Computer Use Policy. A student who is remotely connected must log off as soon as they are no longer actively working on EECE-related work, just as if they were in the lab.

If a local user who is physically present at the PC logs in, any remote connection will be terminated. Classes held in the labs always have priority computer access. Thus, remote users should avoid using PCs during scheduled class times. 

Outside of class times, students who are in the labs are asked to be aware of the possibility of remotely logged in users. If a local user attempts to log into a PC and receives a notification about a remotely connected user, they must instead use another PC which does not have a remote user connected. If the local user ignores the message and logs in the remote connection will be terminated and the remotely connected student may lose work. This behavior is a violation of the lab conduct.

Summer Lab Access

Continuing EECE students may request summer privileges by submitting a Summer Lab Access Request form. Granted access includes 24-hour entry to labs KB 203 and 205, as well as use of the shop during its standard business hours. The department offers two forms of summer access:

• Research Access: Students engaged in formal research with an EECE faculty member may be assigned a dedicated lab bench and are permitted to leave personal items at their workspace.
• General Access: Students not engaged in research may be granted day-use of any unoccupied lab bench and will be assigned a locker for storing personal items.

All summer access terminates on September 15. To facilitate a full cleaning and reset for the upcoming academic year, all personal items must be removed from desks and lockers by this date. Standard lab access will be reinstated for the academic year on the Monday before the fall quarter begins.